bennett



No. 623,59I. Patented Apr. 25, |899.

R. R. BENNETT.

INVALID COACH.

(Application filed Oct. 28, 1898.)

(No Model.) I 2 Sheats-Sheet l.

ATTORNEY om 9 m 2 r p A d e ..l n e t a D u. M A NO NC %u M V m m 3 2 6 n N (Application filed Oct. 28, 1898.)

2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

(No Model.)

WITNESSES:

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STATES RULOFF R. BENNETT, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

INVALlEl-COACH.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N o. 623,591, dated April 25, 1899.

Application filed October 28,1898, Serialllo {594,772. LNo model.)

To ali whom, 't may concerm Be it known that I, RULOFF R. BENNETT, of New York, (Brooklym) in the County of Kings and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Invalid- Coaches; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification.

My invention relates to invalid-coaches that is, coaches which are adapted to the carrying or transportation of sick' persons, who can be carried thus from one place to another without that unpleasant publicity which necessarily arises in the use of an ambulance. Coaches of this general character or for this purpose have heretofore been designed and used, an instance of which is to be seen in the United States Letters Patent which were granted to myself April 24:, 1894, No. 51S,83l. In all such coaches, however, as heretofore constructed and used there have been certain difficulties and defects, some of aserious nature, which it is the object of my present invention to wholly overcome, and in the invalid-coach made the subject of my present application and which I have already reduced to practice and used with great success the Construction and mode of operation are radically different from those involved in any other invalid-coach heretofore made and have resulted in a coach which is much more desirable in all particulars, especially as to those having reference to the safety and comfort of the invalid to be transported.

I propose by my present invention to provide for use an invalid-coach in the use of which the person to be carried may be placed within the coach and removed therefrom with great ease and without the least inconvenience or hurtful jar or movement to the patient, while at the same time during the carriage of the invalid the latter shall ride with the greatest possible degree of ease and comfort and may be attended or accompanied by 'two persons inside the coach, who will also be most comfortably accommodated.

To these main ends and objects my invention maybe said to consist in the novel structural features of an invalid-coach which will be found hereinafter fully described and l which Will be most particularly pointed out in the claims of this specification.

To enable those skilled in the art to which my in vention relates to make and use invalidcoa'ches embracing the latter, either in whole or in part, I will now proceed to more fully desoribe a coach made in accordance with said invention, (as I have so far practiced the latter,) referring by letters to the accompanying drawings, which form part-of this specification and in which I have shown my invention carried out in that precise form as to details in which I have so far practiced it.

In the drawings, Figure l is a longitudinal vertical central section with the bed in its normal condition, but shown also in dotted lines as partially pulled .out and resting on a supplemental supporting-roller which is one of the new features of my invention. In 'this figure the back of the coach is shown opened upwardly and outwardly and supported in its opened condition to permit the withdrawal and insertion of the removable bed or bed-frane on which the invalid is carried. Fig. 2 is a partial horizontal section taken at a planeindicated by the broken line mos, Fig. 1, and with the bed in its normal condition and the cushion-seats removed to better show certain parts to be described. Fig. 3 is a transverse vertical sectionat the broken line y y, Fig. 1, with the bed wholly within the coach, but in a central position widthwise of the 'latter to better illustratc certain devices and Operations to be presently explained. Fig. 4 is a perspective view, looking at the foot, of the bed-f'ame with its air-bed and bed-covers detached or separated from the coach.

In the several figures the same part will be found always designated by the same letter of reference.

A is the body'portion of the coach, of substantially the well-known approved form, mounted in about the usual manner on a suitable running-gear, which, however, is preferably of such detail construct-ion as to render the carriage as easy and light running or as free from the effect to its occupant of any jar by passage over rough surfaces as is possible. The wheels are provided with rubber tires, the rear springs are made of the approved C-spring style, and all the bearings IOO of the running-gear which are capable of being rubbcred are so made, for the purpose just above mentioned.

The rear end or back of the coacl is comprised, mainly, of the portion B, which preferably has in it the usual back window for light and vcntilation and that is hinged, as shown, at O, so that it may be opened outwardly and upwardly into the position shown in Fig. l, in which opened condition itis securely held temporarily by hinged braces or stays F, which in closing down this back portion of the coach fold inwardly and out of the way very much after the fashion of the hinged stays of a buggy-top, and the lowermost part of the said hinged back piece B is provided near its sides with some suitable looking devices c, by means of which when the back of the coach shall have been closed it will be securcly fastened, subject to be opened only by the use of a suitable key to operate said locking devices.

Each ot' the seats of the coach is provided, as shown, with a permanently-placed netallic track or rail o, on which rails is adapt'ed to travel, within the coach-body and transversely thereof, the metallic carriage-frame J, which at its under side is provided with suitable peripherally-grooved track-rollers 1), which travel on said transversely-arranged rails o, these parts being constructed and operating so that (when the seat-cushions to be occupied at one side of the invalid-bed shall have been `removed) the said carriage-frame can be pnshed along on its track or ways from one side of the coach-body to a position about central widthwise of said body, where further movcnent is prevented by certain stop devices in a manner and for a purpose to be prcsently explained.

As is clearly illustrated, the upper surface or portion of the transversely-movable carriage-i'rame J is provided with a series of revoluble rolls or antit'riction-rollersj, on which rides or travels (as will be presently explained) the bed-frame I, whichcarries a rubber infiated or air bed H, on the outer end portion of which is placed an air-cushion a, which bed is provided, as nsual, with a suitable sheet and coverings for the invalid to be transported. In the case shown this air-mattress and pillow are covered with a sheet, which is placed and heldin position in a peculiar manner, which will be hereinafter explained, and with a covering-blanket or other additional covering Z), such as nay by prefcrence be used for the confort of the patient.

This bed-frane I is preferably composed of a light strong rectangular wooden frame having a bottom formed of thin boards running longitudinally, so as to assurean easy running endwise of the bed-frane on the antif-iction-rollersj of the carriage-frame J, and with a top surface conposed, preferably, of canvas securely tacked to the frane, upon which rests in a renovable manner the airbed H. This air-mattress is, however, tem- &23,591

porarily Secured in place on the bed-frame, so that there shall be no danger f ron its slippin g about thereon while in use, by means of two broad fiaps of canvas s, each of which is secnred to the frane at one edge only, while the opposite or meeting edges of the two canvas flaps nearly neet and at their meeting edges are tied together at i'ntervals by suitable tapes or strings, as clearly shown.

t t are broad bands or straps of suitable material, which have one end of each securely fastened to one of the sides of the bed-frame and are adapted to be drawn and held or tied over or around about the body of the person occupying the bed for the convenience and safety of such occupant in traveling.

As it is important that the sheet or cover of the air-bed H be so arranged and held in place as to avoid the possibility of its getting either partially displaced to the discomfort of the invalid or so as to possibly become entangled with some of the moving parts of the contrivance in either sliding the bed into the coach or removing it therefron, I have dc- Vised the special' arrangement shown, (sec particularly Fig. 4,) in which the sheet or other covering of the bed is made of just the proper size to cover the person occupying the latter and not hang below thelowernost edge of the bed-frane I and so that by means of the earpieces or flap-like projections n and the tying of the sheet or other covering by the strings o, bonnd securely across the ends of the inattress, it is inpossible for the covering to slip out of place, and thus cause either of the difficulties above Inentioned.

As it is usual and necessary in the removal of a patient from his home bed to the bed to be carried into the coach, and vice versa, to use a canvas stretcher, which of course is carried in the coach, the stretcher-poles (each of which is, as nsual, made in two parts adapted to be screwed together) are stored away in a most convenient and accessible nanner by stacking up the four pieces against the front or riser of the back seat of the coach, as shown, one set of the ends of the stretcherpole-pieces being held in place by a housing at one end of the seat-riser, while the opposite ends of the pole-pieces are securely held in place by a binder-strap i, preferably made of rubber and adapted also to perform another function, which will be presently described. This rubber strap z', one end of which :is securely fastencd at or near the base of the riser of the back seat, has its other end provided with a suitable ring or loop adapted to be caught onto or hitched to one or the other of two holder-buttons or hooks m n, the said strap when fastened, as shown in full lines at Fig. 3, to the hook or button m serving simply to retain in place the vertical stack of pole-pieces and when hitched to the button or hook n, as shown in dotted lines, performing the additional function of holding in place centrally, widtlwise of the coach, the transversely-movable carriage-frame J,

said carriag'e-frame being held up against:

frame in the event of the coach happening. to have the wheels at one side at a lower level than those occupied by thewheels at the other side.

e e are the usual rearwardly and upwardly,

projecting metallic arms ot' the backportion of the running-gear ot the coach, which, howr ever, I have made or formed at their ends with hearing-boxes which are slotted out at' their upper sui-faces to permit the easyinser.- tion and withdrawal of the journals of a supplemental roller f, which is temporarily used in a manner and for a purpose to be presently explained.

In the use or operation of my improved invalid-coach the bed-frame I, with its airmattress, pillow, and bedclothes, having been removed from the coach (after having opened up the back of the latter, as shown in Fig. 1) by first noving the transverse earriage J into the central position (seen at Fig. 3) and then drawing the bed-frame, with its accompanying parts, outwardly, as indicated by the dotted lines at Fig. 1, the said bed is taken to any desired place from which the invalid is to be removed and after the person shall have been transported in the usual manner (by means of the canvas stretcher and its poles) and been properly placed-upon the air-bed the latter is then carried in the usual manner to the coach, and the foot of the bedframe having been first placed on the supplemental roller fsaid bed-frame is gently pushed inwardly of the coach, rolling easily along endwise on the said supplemental rollerfand also upon the antifriction-rollersj of the transverse carriage J, until the bed-frame, with its occupant, shall have been pushed or placed wholly within the body of the coach. After the performanceof this operation the transverse carriage J, with the bed-frame resting thereon, is simplypushed easily widthwise of the carriage, its antifriction orgrooved trackrollers p traveling on the transverse ways or rails o until the bed, with its invalid, shall' have been placed close against the right-hand side of the interier of the coach-body. Then the open back b having been closed and locked and the removable seat-cushions adapted to be occupied by two persons, one on the back seat and the other on the front and both at one side of the bed, having been placed in position, one or two persons accompanying the invalid may occupy seats in thecarriage (the latter having had its door closed, as usual) and the invalid may be transported any distance With great comfort and perfect privacy.

To effectuate the removal of the invalid from the carriage, the reverse of the operations just described is of course performedthat is to say, after having discharged the accompanying passengers, removed the seatcushions occupied by them, and opened up outwardly the back portion B of the coach -the carriage-frame Jis first p-ulled to its central position within the coach-body (see Fig. 2) and there Secured in position against the stops g g by the elastic holder-strap i, if necessary,whereupon the attendan ts,takinghold of the head or pillow end of the sliding bedframe I, pull the frame outwardly through the rear opening of the coach-body, having first, however, placed in position the removable supplemental rollerf, the said bed-frane being easily drawn out without anyjar or commotion to the patient by rolling easily on the antifriction-rollers j (and also the roller f) until the foot end or portion of the bed-framc I shall be resting wholly upon the supplemental roller f, after which the attendants can most con veniently lift and carry the bedframe, with its bed and occupant, to any dei sired resting-place, at which it may be desired to apply the stretcher-poles to the canvas and carry the patient to his final destination.

Ot' course it is understood that when necessary to perform this final operation the four stretcher-pole pieces are easily obtained by unfstening the binder-strap i, removing the pole-pieces from their' place ot' storage, prop- .erly screwing them together, and then inserting them in the side hems of the canvas streteher, all in the usual or well-known manner.

It will be seen that by the Construction herein shown and described not only is the removable bed-frame I placed at the lowest possible level, so as to be most readily inserted within and withdrawn from the coach-body by the attendants without jar or uncomfortable motion to the invalid, but that by the combination of the bed-frame I and trans- Verse carriage J, the former being adapted to ride easily endwise on top of the latter and the latter being adapted to slide sidewise easily within the coach-body on the track-rails 0, the necessary movements for the insertion of the bed 'within the coach when occupied by the invalid and the final movement of the bed to one side of the coach are all effectuated easily by the attendants and without any jar to orany up or down movement of the invalid, and it will also be seen that by the utilization of the rearwardly-projecting arms e of the coach running-gear tosupport or journal the removable supplemental rollerf not only can the bed, with its oecupant, be more easily and conveniently inserted within and withdrawn from the coach, but these Operations. can be performed without the slightest risk of any jarring or shaking up of the patient, such as is very liable to occ ur where the attendants have got to get hold of and afford proper support to the inner or foot end of the traveling bed-frame at about the time of its losing the support usually heretofore afforded by the hindmost one of the rollers j of the frame which supports the bed inside of the coach.,

By having the air-bed H wholly and easily IIO removable from the bed-frame I (instead of having it permanently attached to it as heretofore) the air-bed, either for purpose of cleaning or repairing, may be removed by untying the binder or securing fiaps s s, hereinbefore mentioned, and by the simple device shown and described the sheet and the bed-covering, while securely held in place against slipping during the placenent on the bed or the renoval from it of the invalid, are prevented from getting the lower edges displaced and lowe'ed, so as to become entangled with or so as to interfere with either the sliding of the bed-frame on the rollered carriage-frane J or the movements of the carriage J.

Having now so fully described my improved invalid-coach that those skilled in the art can make and use coaches embodying either in whole or in part my alleged improvenents, what I claim as new, and desi'e to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In combination with a coach-body hav ing its back portion adapted to be opened and closed, a carriage-frane arranged to travel laterally upon suitable ways on the carriageseats; and a bed-frame which is adapted to be moved endwise on top of the said laterallysliding carriage; all substantially as and for the purposes hereinbefore set forth.

2. In combination with the coach-body having a back which opens and closes, as specified; and the usual rearwardly and upwardly projecting devices c, e, of the running-gear, the bed-f'ame I arranged to be slid, or rolled into and withdrawn from the coach-body; and a supplemental roller f, mounted in suitable hearing-boxes in the ends of the devices c, e; all substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

3. In an invalid-coach, a storage place, or receptacle, for the four stretcher pole-pieces, in front of the riser of the rear seat, in combination with the retaining, or binder strap i; the combination being and Operating as and for the purposes set forth.

4. In an invalid-coach, the combination, with the removable bed-frame I, of an airbed which is separable from the said bedframe; and the securing-[laps s, permanently attached at one set of their edges to the said bed-frame and provided with means by which their opposite edges may be temporarily secu red together; whe'eby the said bed-secu ring flaps serve to securely, but temporarily, hold properly in place, on the bed-frame, the said air-bed; all as hereinbefore set forth.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 27th day of October, 1898.

' RULOFF R. BENNETT. In presence of- DANIEL J. BYRNE, WILLIAM P. RIDER. 

